Politics and the media in postcommunist Russia

The evidence of a nationally representative survey conducted in April 2001 suggests that television is the medium of choice for most Russians. At least 92 per cent watch at least several times a week, with state channels more popular than those in commercial ownership. The media enjoy a high level of trust, and there is widespread agreement that they should adopt a stabilising role in society rather than simply report developments. Television is the main source of information when Russians make their electoral choices; there are accordingly considerable implications in the extent to which pro-Kremlin candidates and parties enjoy the support of the state media, which in turn are the favourite viewing of the voters that support them

Bio-Pelleting of Brassica Rapa Seeds Using Trichoderma Inoculants for Improved Keeping Quality and Control of Pythium Damping-Off

An attempt was made to study the effect of biological seed treatment on the viability and keeping quality of B. rapa and incidence of Pythium damping-off. Trichoderma virens (UPM 23) and Trichoderma harzianum (UPM 29) were used as the microbial inoculants in bio-pelleting of the seeds. UPM 23 produced greater antagonistic activity against Pythium splendens, the causal pathogen of dampingoff of B. rapa, based on the in vitro dual culture and colony degradation tests. Percentage inhibition of radial growth (PIRG) of P. splendens was 83.8% and 94.0% when co-inoculated on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Corn Meal Agar (CMA) respectively. Parasitized hyphae failed to regenerate when plated on fresh CMA medium. UPM 23 was as effective as Captan® in protecting the B. rapa seeds against Pythium pre-emergence damping-off, due to its ability to colonize the germinating seed, compete for sites and nutrients and directly parasitizing Pythium. Percentage reduction in seedling emergence was 7.0%, 14 days after sowing, as compared to the control (80.6%). There was no significant difference in percentage post-emergence damping-off of seedlings between bio-pelleted seeds or controL However, number of surviving plants at harvest was higher for UPM 23 bio-pelleted seeds relative to the other treatments. Measurement of seed viability based on germination test, electrical conductivity test, accelerated aging test and tetrazoliwn staining, showed that B. rapa seeds either Trichoderma bio-pelleted or rice flour pelleted with 10% moisture content bas better keeping quality when stored at 10°C ± 2°C, until week 24 of storage. Seed viability and quality was further improved by reducing the moisture content to 4%. Incorporation of biocontrol agents such as UPM 29 and UPM 23 in hio-pelleting, regardless of seed moisture content required low storage temperature to ensure the survival and proliferation of these inoculum on the seed surface

Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands; High growth enterprises; Running fast but still keeping conrol

This ninth edition of Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands deals with high growth and the quality of entrepreneurship. In the 'Action Plan Entrepreneurs - Entrepreneurship policy in the Netherlands?', the Ministry of Economic Affairs describes its aim as not just to create more entrepreneurs, but also to improve the quality of entrepreneurship. Creating a successful enterprise requires a careful and well-researched approach combined with a detailed knowledge of the market. Many entrepreneurs in the Netherlands are still not fully exploiting the capacities of their businesses. This is often due to lack of preparation and insufficient knowledge. In addition, the action plan stipulates that fast-growing companies are an important target group for Dutch entrepreneurship policy. The Netherlands is lagging behind the rest of Europe in terms of the share of such companies as a proportion of the business population. Therefore the Ministry tries to ensure that the Netherlands? share will match, by 2010, the average in the benchmark countries (i.e. the US, UK, Denmark, Belgium and Germany).

Intelligent agents, markets and competition

Strategisch onderzoek naar de ontwikkelingen op de markt voor intelligent agents. Intelligent Agents kunnen enorme invloed krijgen in de business-to-consumer Internethandel. Veel hangt daarbij af van hoe aanbieders hun producten aanbieden op het Internet. In de reisbranche zijn de mogelijkheden voor productori�ntatie en -aankoop op de websites van reisaanbieders nog beperkt. Op boekensites is meer informatie voorhanden. Hier hebben agents slechts een beperkte functie, omdat onderscheid tussen boekaanbieders enkel op prijs is te maken.

The Conceptualisation of Mapuche Religion in Colonial Chile (1545-1787)

The study analyses the conceptualisations of Mapuche Religion in colonial Chile, focusing on texts written by European soldiers, sailors, government officials, missionaries, chroniclers, (proto-)scientists and travellers between 1545 and 1787. Applying methods of postcolonial studies and discourse theory to the Chilean colonial context, the study interprets the descriptions of Mapuche Religion as a discourse of alterity, which needs to be analysed against the background of colonial mechanisms of interpretation (e.g. Eurocentric binaries, exoticisms, stereotypes). By providing an analysis of the Mapuche Religion discourse, the study has two general objectives: (1) Introducing Mapuche Religion to religious studies and thus provide a basis for future research in that area of investigation. (2) The study may also serve as a practical model for the further investigation of indigenous religions in other colonial contexts. The first part of the study thus provides a general overview on tendencies of interpretation in the Mapuche Spanish colonial context, discusses current results of the postcolonial and the Orientalism debates, argues for the necessity of taking the postcolonial turn in our discipline and, finally, debates the application of discourse analytical methods to the context of Mapuche Religion. The results of that first part are then employed in the second part of the study, which presents a detailed colonial discourse analysis of the Mapuche Religion discourse. Here our attention focuses on the doctrinal dimension of the conceptualisations of Mapuche Religion, which is further subdivided into five strands of discourse: Mapuche supernatural beings, religious specialists, postmortality, folk religious beliefs and mythology. Summarising and further analysing the results of the study in the third conclusive part of the book, we claim that Mapuche Religion was conceptualised in a colonial discourse of alterity as an unintelligible religion deviating from the ego’s Christian standard and, thus, worked as a crucial element in sustaining the ego’s exoticising mechanisms towards the Mapuche Other. Conclusively, we argue for a future religious studies that, by initialising a multi-perspectivical dialogue on religion, faces the challenges of a global comparison of religious colonialisms

Evidence for an in vitro Anticoagulant Activity of Red Onion (Allium cepa L.)

Background: Haemostasis is the process that retains the blood within the vascular system during periods of injury, localizes the reactions involved to the site of injury, repairs and re-establishes blood flow through the injured vessel. Onion (Allium cepa) is a largely universal staple herb popular throughout history as both food and medicine and it has been consumed for prevention of cardiovascular disorders.Objectives: To study the possible anticoagulant effects of red onion in vitro, by using blood samples of normal individuals.Methods: In vitro anticoagulant effects of an aqueous extract (5%) of red onion in different volumes (25, 50 and 75 ìL) were examined on the blood samples of normal individuals by measuring prothrombin time (PT).Results: The aqueous extract of red onion was found to inhibit coagulation process in vitro and significantly prolonged prothrombin time in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusion: This study showed that red onion aqueous extract in different concentrations inhibits clot formation and increases prothrombin time. Red onion can be used as a supplementary anticoagulant agent to improve and/or prevent cardiovascular diseases

‘Man Up’:the importance and strategy for placing male reproductive health centre stage in the political and research agenda.

Approximately 1 in 20 young men today have sperm counts low enough to impair fertility, whereas this may not have been the case historically. The cause(s) of such a decline in male reproductive health is unknown, despite it being a global health issue. Concomitantly, little progress has been made in answering fundamental questions in andrology or in developing new diagnostic tools or alternative management strategies to ICSI in infertile men. We advocate formulation of a detailed roadmap for male reproductive health to facilitate development of a research agenda that highlights the present unmet needs and key unanswered questions, and seeks to deliver effective funding and investment to address them. This vision we term a Male Reproductive Health Ecosystem

High-Power Ultrasound in Gas Phase: Effects on the Bioactive Compounds Release from Red Bell Pepper during In Vitro Gastrointestinal Digestion

High-power ultrasound in gas-phase (28.8 kW/m3 for 120 min at 17.5 ± 0.3 °C) has been evaluated as a pre-treatment to enhance the release of antioxidants and phenolic compounds from red bell pepper during digestion. The moisture content decreased (34 ± 4%) while both the antioxidant activity (between 4 ± 1% and 21 ± 1%) and the phenolic compounds content (37 ± 4%) increased after the treatment. Moreover, microstructural changes were observed in the treated sample, with the appearance of breaks in the plant tissue, cell shrinkage, and an increased number of cells per area unit (28 ± 2%). Bioaccessibility was determined by in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. The total release of antioxidants and phenolic compounds after gastrointestinal digestion was 22–55% higher and 45 ± 7% higher, respectively, in the sonicated sample, with cell swelling and a 9.2 ± 0.1% higher number of cells per area unit. Therefore, the ultrasound treatment caused microstructural changes in the red bell pepper tissue, which could help to explain the higher release of bioactive compounds.Fil: Reche, Cristina. University of the Balearic Islands; EspañaFil: Rosselló, Carmen. University of the Balearic Islands; EspañaFil: Eim, Valeria. University of the Balearic Islands; EspañaFil: Leon, Alberto Edel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Simal, Susana. University of the Balearic Islands; Españ